Fuel Cell Grounding Wire Protection via Floor Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle designs with body earth configurations for fuel cell vehicles do not adequately secure the electric connection between the vehicle body and the fuel cell module, especially during impacts that deform the vehicle body, leading to potential damage to the grounding wire.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle configuration featuring a conductive plate-like member with a protruded portion in the floor, a fuel cell module positioned below, and a grounding wire connecting the module to the plate-like member, with a through-hole and fastening portion to reduce water ingress and enhance rigidity, located centrally or between seats to minimize deformation and damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the grounding wire is directly connected to the vehicle body without additional protective structures, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of the electric connection deteriorates when the vehicle body deforms during impact
Solution Approach 1:
A protruded portion is introduced as an intermediary protective structure between the grounding wire and the vehicle body. This protruded portion absorbs deformation during impact, preventing direct damage to the grounding wire while maintaining the electric connection. The structure acts as a buffer zone that mediates between the external impact forces and the sensitive grounding wire.
Solution Approach 2:
The protruded portion is designed in advance to provide cushioning protection against potential impact damage. By positioning the grounding wire within the range of the protruded portion beforehand, the system prepares a protective barrier that will absorb deformation forces before they can reach and damage the grounding wire during actual impact events.
2Ease of manufacture
If the through-hole is positioned to allow easy wire passage, then the ease of manufacture improves, but water ingress risk increases causing rust
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening portion is positioned in a different spatial dimension (above the through-hole in the vertical direction) rather than at the same level as the hole. This dimensional separation allows water that enters through the through-hole to drain away without accumulating at the fastening portion, thus preventing rust while maintaining easy wire installation through the through-hole.
Data Source
AI summary
In order for a vehicle to which a fuel cell module is mounted to fully secure an electric connection between a vehicle body and the fuel cell module, a vehicle is provided, which includes a conductive plate-like member, constituting at least a part of a floor portion of a vehicle body of the vehicle, and having a protruded portion protruded upwardly in the gravity directions and extended from the front to the rear of the vehicle, a fuel cell module, provided downward in the gravity directions from the plate-like member, and accommodating a fuel cell, and a grounding wire, electrically connecting the fuel cell module with the plate-like member within a range when seen in the gravity direction where the protruded portion exists.